East Tennessee State University, with the approval of the Tennessee Board of Regents, incorporated the East Tennessee State University Research Foundation (ETSURF) as a not-for-profit within the State of Tennessee in July 2002. ETSURF was granted 501(c)(3) status by the IRS in July 2003. The principal mission of ETSURF is to support research, scholarly and artistic activities at ETSU. ETSURF is the administrative and fiduciary entity for the ETSU Innovation Laboratory, manages ETSU intellectual property, and accepts and administers selected contracts and grants from private industry, foundations and other non-governmental agencies.